St John the Baptist, Eltham High Street, London SE9 1DH

Sunday 11th November

CIVIC SERVICE
Today we commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. The Parish Eucharist will be shorter than usual, as we’ll be gathering outside at the War Memorial for an Act of Remembrance at 11am. This will be followed by a Service of Remembrance in church, at which the Archdeacon of Lewisham and Greenwich, the Venerable Alastair Cutting, will preside.

WINTER FAIR
There will be a Winter Fair in church on Saturday 1st December from 10am to 2pm. Contributions for the stalls, including books, toys and bric-a-brac, are welcome – please drop off any items at church in the parish office, which is next to the font. The church is open Thursdays at 9.30am-11am, Fridays at 11am-1pm and Sundays at 9am-midday. If you’d like to help with the fair or have any questions, please see Jene Kerr.

WENSLEY CLOSE
The Friends of Wensley Close are holding a coffee morning on Tuesday 20th November from 10am to 12.30pm at Charter House in King John’s Walk. For more information, see the church noticeboard.

A SAFE CHURCH
At St John’s, we are committed to keeping our church members safe. This means we take measures to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of all. It is our collective responsibility to take care of, look out for and help each other in church – especially children, young people and vulnerable adults. If you have any questions or safeguarding concerns, you can speak to our safeguarding officers in confidence: Mick Hayes on 020 8859 3389 or Alberta Rosenior on 020 8863 9413. You can also contact the Southwark Diocesan Safeguarding Team – see elthamchurch.org.uk for contacts.

GREENWICH WINTER NIGHT SHELTER
The Greenwich Winter Night Shelter is looking for volunteers to help provide for the homeless in our local community. For the past three years, St John’s has taken an active role in supporting the shelter, which provides a bed, breakfast and an evening meal for people in need. Please speak with Fr Jim if you think you can help.

RESTORING THE SOPHIA TUCKER MEMORIAL
The Edith Nesbit Society has made an application to the diocese to restore the gravestone of Sophia Tucker (1847-1916) in St John’s churchyard. Sophia and her husband Tommy worked to promote better conditions for local workers and were active in the Co-operative movement, through which they met the writer Edith Nesbit. After Sophia died, Edith married Tommy.

The inscription on Sophia’s memorial reads: ‘In memory of Sophia, the beloved wife of Thomas Terry Tucker; died 14 January 1916 aged 66 years.’ Public notices summarising the application can be viewed inside and outside the church, and will be on display until 18th November. Details are also available in the parish office.

PANTOMIME
There’ll be a parish outing to the pantomime Aladdin at the Bob Hope Theatre on Saturday 19th January at 2pm at the group rate of £9 per person. If you would like to book tickets, please sign up on the noticeboard. Payment is requested by the end of November. For further details, please speak to Fr Jim or Jean Harker.

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD: MUSIC FOR ADVENT
St Paul’s Cathedral is holding a four-week course in December exploring the music of Advent. The course – on consecutive Saturdays – will be led by the cathedral’s director of music, Andrew Carwood, and include music from the Renaissance to the 21st century. See stpauls.co.uk/learning-faith/adult-learning for further details.